News Releases
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Study Finds Long-Term Mental Health Benefits of Gender-Affirming Surgery for Transgender Individuals
The American Journal of Psychiatry has published an erratum notice after conducting a statistical analysis that was prompted by letters questioning the methodology of “Reduction in Mental Health Treatment Utilization Among Transgender Individuals After Gender-Affirming Surgeries: A Total Population Study.” The erratum explains why the study’s conclusion “that the longitudinal association between gender-affirming surgery and lower use of mental health treatment lends support to the decision to provide gender-affirming surgeries to transgender individuals who seek them” is too strong.
Nation’s Top Child-Focused Organizations Strongly Urge California Federal Court to Oppose Trump Administration’s Move to End Flores Settlement
On behalf of a coalition of the nation’s leading organizations dedicated to protecting the health and welfare of children, Arent Fox LLP filed an amicus brief in the US District Court for the Central District of California in support of the Plaintiff in Jenny Lisette Flores, et al., v. William Barr, Attorney General of the United States, et al. More than 20 organizations adamantly oppose the Trump Administration’s new regulations that overturn protections guaranteed to immigrant children under the Flores Settlement Agreement.
Joint Statement of America’s Frontline Physicians Opposing Final Rule Rolling Back Protections in Flores Settlement Agreement
The Department of Homeland Security issued a final regulation that would roll back critical protections for immigrant families established under the Flores Settlement Agreement. In response, the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American College of Physicians, and American Psychiatric Association issued this statement:
APA Statement on the Administration’s Decision to End the Flores Settlement Agreement
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is deeply concerned with the administration’s decision to end the Flores Settlement Agreement, and issued the following statement from APA President Bruce Schwartz, M.D.
Health Care Coalition Commends Administration’s Actions to Modernize SUD Treatment Privacy Law and Enhance Coordinated Care and Safety
The Partnership to Amend 42 CFR Part 2 (Partnership), a coalition of nearly 50 health care organizations committed to aligning 42 CFR Part 2 (Part 2) with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for the purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations (TPO), issued the below statement today in response to the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), “Coordinating Care and Information Sharing in the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders,” released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The proposed rule would modify 42 CFR Part 2, the federal regulations that govern confidentiality of drug and alcohol treatment and prevention records.
Joint Statement of America’s Frontline Physicians Opposing Public Charge Final Rule
The Department of Homeland Security issued a final regulation that changes long-standing rules governing how and whether immigrants can be determined to be a “public charge;” widens the scope of programs considered by the government in making such a determination; and serves as a barrier to accessing health care for legal immigrants, as doing so can now serve as a basis for denying individuals green cards or U.S. visas. In response, the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Osteopathic Association, American College of Physicians, and American Psychiatric Association, collectively representing more than 597,000 of America's frontline physicians, issued this statement:
APA Joins Call to Action to Prevent Firearm-Related Injury and Death
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) today joined six other physician and health professional organizations in calling for action to address the public health epidemic of firearm-related injury and death. In 2017, nearly 40,000 people died as a result of a firearm, a 20-year high, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Providing Veterans with Video-Enabled Tablets Leads to Improved Mental Health Care Access
A Veterans Health Administration (VHA) program that provides tablets to veterans with mental disorders leads to improved access and continuity of care. A new study published online in Psychiatric Services in Advance finds that video-enabled tablets can improve mental health care access for patients who experience barriers because of geographic, social, or health-related circumstances.
APA Condemns Loss of Life from Gun Violence, Disputes Link to Mental Illness
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) today condemns the senseless loss of lives from gun violence that has become all too common in this country, most recently in mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio. Gun violence is a public health crisis, and we must reduce the injuries and deaths that come from it, while promoting safe communities through funding of research on firearm violence and reform based on research.
7 Health Organizations File Appeal Challenging Decision on Short-Term, Limited-Duration Junk Insurance Plans
The Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Mental Health America, American Psychiatric Association (APA), AIDS United, National Partnership for Women & Families, and Little Lobbyists today filed an appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit challenging the recent decision on short-term limited-duration junk insurance (STLDI) plans. On July 19, Judge Richard Leon of the D.C. District Court upheld a 2018 Trump administration regulation allowing the dramatic expansion of the sale of STLDI plans as a direct competitor to comprehensive, Affordable Care Act-compliant health insurance in his ruling in Association for Community Affiliated Plans et al v. U.S. Department of Treasury et al.
APA Disappointed in Judge’s Ruling Regarding Short-Term, Limited Duration Plans
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) last fall joined six other health organizations in filing a lawsuit against the Administration’s decision to allow for the expanded sale of short-term, limited duration plans (STLDI) in exchange for comprehensive health plans mandated by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Today, a federal district court judge upheld the government’s regulations regarding STLDI plans. In response, the APA issued the following statements:
APA Calls on Administration to Provide Humane Care for Asylum Seekers at U.S. Border
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is deeply concerned with the recent reports regarding the conditions children and their families who are seeking asylum at the U.S. border are being held in, and the traumatic affects those conditions will have on their mental health. In response, the APA released this statement from APA President Bruce Schwartz, M.D.: